Spirited Away 2: Chasing Hearts
by catherinejwli
Summary: 10 long years has passed since Chihiro has visited Haku-and the rest of the crew. When she approaches the spirit world, she finds everything has changed. Especially when Haku is ENGAGED to this unfriendly girl named Sakura. Then, Haku gets cursed. Can Chihiro win Haku's heart while avoiding what seems like pointless pranks from Sakura and break the curse all at the same time?
1. Different: Chihiro

1/Different

Chihiro

I paused as I arrived at the river. This was it.

_It's been 10 years. _The old memories of my crush, Haku and the rest drifted into my mind. What will they look like now?

"Well there's only one way to find out." I murmured to myself. I squeezed my eyes shut and leaped across the border that separates the real world and the spirit world. I hesitantly opened my eyes. Everything was different. Instead of a ghost town, a marble castle stood tall before me, with four fountains in the front. It was so different I thought I arrived at the wrong place, until I heard a familiar voice.

"Chihiro? Is that you?" Lin's voice floated towards me. I looked up to see her with a about 3-year old toddler. So much has changed. Is that her child?

"Lin!" I ran towards her, hugging her with embrace.

"Chihiro! You're so different now!" she exclaimed. _Different_. The word struck me as it was repeated many times.

I smiled.

"You too! And she is…?" I kneeled down and touched what seemed like Lin's kid's cheeks.

"Kina. She's my daughter." Lin grinned like her old self.

"She's so cute!" I blabbed on. We talked for quite a while before she brought up what I almost forgot about.

"Heh. Are you here to see Haku?" she asked.

"And all of you guys too. It's been 10 years." I informed, nodding.

"Haku is in that castle. We'll talk later. " she winked as I blushed.

As I walked down the aisle, I felt a pounding in my chest. What if Haku changed? What if everything turns upside down?


	2. Questions: Haku

2/Questions

Haku

A weird magic informed me that a human has entered the spirit world. I was confused until I realized it was Chihiro. This didn't seem real. Chihiro, the girl that I had liked every since she entered the spirit world 10 years ago? Chihiro, the kind, curious and smart girl?

Was she the Chihiro I knew?

10 long years could make her like a stranger. After Lin got married, I became leader and Yubaba was banished, I've never heard from Chihiro. I'm excited and nervous at the same time.

What if she changed?

"Master Haku," someone spoke. I pushed the _what ifs _out of my mind.

_She didn't._

I hope that's true.

"Haku!" Chihiro's rosy face sprinted towards me. I did the same and we hugged each other tightly.

"Chihiro!" I whispered. Tears started pouring down my eyes.

_She didn't change._ I assured myself. For 10 years, I've been waiting for this moment. She promised she would visit after Yubaba was banished. She never broke it. A smiled arched my lips.

"Haku, we have a visitor, sweetie!" a voice crawled into my ears. My eyes travelled to Yubaba's long-lost daughter, Sakura, who I was engaged to.

So here's the story: Yubaba promised to vanish away and never bother the spirit world again in one condition: Marry her daughter. For my people, I agreed. But Sakura isn't all that bad. But she gets a bit too gushy sometimes.

"Hey, Sakura. This is the girl I was telling you about-Chihiro." I grinned. A flash of an expression went through Sakura's face, and she started coughing.

"_Cough, cough, cough_. Excuse me." her smile disappeared.

"Hello, Sakura! Nice to meet you!" Chihiro pasted a smile on her face immediately.

"Well, well, Chihiro! I'm Sakura, Haku's wife!" she exclaimed, gushing with pride.

"I'm not your husband." I muttered, spitting out the last word.

"_Yet._" Sakura raised her eyes. I turned to Chihiro.

She had a puzzled look on her face.

Almost as if she was…

Sad.


	3. Chasing Haku: Chihiro

Husband? H-he's too young to marry! Plus… with her? A pang of jealousy hit me. He _did_ change.

"Chihiro? Are you okay?" Haku's tender voice comforted. _My _Haku. Well, technically not, but still!

"Yeah! One sec." I burst out of my thoughts. I wrapped my hands together before me, and sprinted outside, took a deep breath and a single tear rolled down my eyes. I flicked it away with my thumb. With another deep breath, I scurried back, only finding Sakura, waiting for me with an unfriendly grin.

"Haku seems to like you very much." she sneered.

"Uh… yeah… you too!" I said, wavery, not knowing how to confront her.

"Exactly. He has feelings for me, and for you." she scoffed.

"What do you mean?" I murmured.

"Chasing his heart has begun. He will choose." she crackled and left with a wisp. She must be a river spirit, too.

I bent down and wrapped my knees to my chest. How can I win over river spirit? Since when was Haku engaged? I didn't want big fat, hot tears streaming down my cheeks, but that's what eventually happened.

I stayed there for almost an hour, thinking, before someone touched my shoulder. I was so dazed I jumped. Shuddering, I saw a giant boy, about 12-ish years old.

"CHIHIRO!" he screamed. I recognized that voice immediately.

"Boh! Is that really you?" I smiled so widely. It was Yubaba's youngest son, also Sakura's brother!

He ran to hug me, and I hugged him back. He was so big now!

"You haven't visited for a long time! I missed you." he sniffed.

"Aw, I'm here now, aren't I?" I patted him on his humongous hand.

"Follow me!" he thundered as he started walking towards a field.

I wonder what's up…


	4. Cursed: Haku

4/Cursed

Haku

Where is she? Isn't Boh supposed to be here with Chihiro by now?

"Haku! Why are we wasting our 'alone' time at this party?" Sakura batted her eyelashes at me. Doesn't she understand?

"All of us-Lin, Boh, No-face, Granny, even me, we haven't seen her in 10 years. Can't we have a little party?" I replied, annoyed.

"Oh. I-I'm sorry. I didn't know she meant that much to you. All of you." she looked away, seeming truly sorry.

"Look, that's not what I mean-" I started before I was cut off with loud walking. Boh! And Chihiro!

"Our visitor has arrived!" I yelled across the wild crowd.

Chihiro's little face appeared by Boh's humongous one.

Before she even realized what was going on, we all yelled "SURPRISE!"

Chihiro seemed dazzled and her rosy cheeks became even more rosy.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sakura move.

"Haku, what's all this?" Chihiro squealed and I laughed.

"Simple 'Welcome Back Party.'" I accelerated towards her and hugged her again. She clutched on my shoulder, not letting go.

"Don't leave me." she whispered in my ear. I didn't really understand what she meant, but I was assuming that she missed us a lot.

Just then, an evil aura surrounded intruded the Welcome Back Party.

I shoved Chihiro and the rest behind me. A masked face locked my eyes.

"Seems like there's a little party and _I'm_ not invited?" an evil man voice lurked right through me.

"Get out. Only special humans have access to the spirit world." I said calmly, pointing out Chihiro.

"Ha ha ha. I'm not a human. I'm a Nightmare Spirit." he cackled.

Nightmare Spirit-a rare spirit that can give anyone a nightmare, making them change their mind, or persuade someone to do something. But, still nothing compared to me, the Principal River Spirit.

"I don't care, GET OUT." I lifted my hand, ready to shift him away.

_Slash!_

Chihiro and some others screamed.

Mr. Nightmare Spirit slashed a relentless sword into my arm, but I reacted fast enough that it didn't cut right through me. I pushed him away with some force and with a flick of my finger, he was gone.

The wound was stinging as blood gushed out, then a black smoke rose through my arm.

I was cursed by a Nightmare Spirit.


	5. Guilty: Chihiro

5/Guilty

Chihiro

It almost didn't seem real. Haku. _Haku_ just got wounded by this evil guy-person-thing. Crisp smoke was flying from his arm.

"Haku, seems like a bad sting. Let's get you to your room." Lin furrowed her eyebrows together.

"I'm fine. Just cursed." he muttered.

"CURSED?" everyone yelled. He stared at them with a sharp eye that everyone feared.

"Haku, let me tend to your wound." I said, gently touching the hurt arm. He barely winced. Barely. Not didn't. Suddenly, running came.

"HAKU! OH MY GOSH ARE YOU OKAY?" Sakura's over-sweet voice rang into my ears. It almost made me roll my eyes, but I didn't. This really was a serious accident.

"Sakura. If you want Haku to be okay, my advice is to leave him _alone_." Lin snatched Sakura by the arm and winked at me. I quickly led him away, him instructing the directions to his room.

When we got there, I looked around for a towel, dipped it in freezing cold water and inched towards his arm.

"This is going to sting." I warned, feeling guilty to be the one who was making him hurt more.

As I dabbed, he didn't move or hiss one bit. _He's so strong, _I thought.

At last, I wrapped his arm in a bandage.

"Thank you, Chihiro. Would you like to have dinner in my room with me? I need to talk with you." he protested. I nodded.

_Ding!_ Almost immediately, he rang a bell and, within 5 minutes, dinner was brought in by Lin.

"Always so commanding." she sighed. "How's your arm?" she nodded towards the bandaged arm. Haku didn't answer.

She left so quickly.

"Eat." he motioned at the sushi and fish. I felt horrible. He is always the one who protects us and gets hurt. I never really did anything but find his name for him.

"I really missed you, Kohaku." it felt good to say his real name.

"I did too, Chihiro." he whispered.

I smiled. The old Haku has come back.


	6. Dreams and Nightmares: Haku

6/Dreams and Nightmares

Haku

_Chihiro is human. I'm a spirit. Those two can't go together. Can't. Sakura is a spirit. I'm a spirit. Those two can go with each other. Can._

_Sakura is made for you._

I snapped out of my dream, at 2:50 pm sharp. Why would _I _say something to myself using _you_? And why am I dreaming that Chihiro and I can't go together. It's a nightmare.

_Nightmare. _The word snapped in my head. The Nightmare Spirit. He's stolen my dreams and replaced them with these nightmares that try to convince me into doing something. But why convince me to go with Sakura? She's a good spirit, right? Or..._nonsense, _I thought.

The rest of the night was still.

"Chihiro," I whispered to nobody. It's been about 3 hours since I got up in the night. I grabbed my clothes, whipped some toothpaste on my teeth, and sprinted out and started looking for Chihiro.

For a while, there was nobody, but then I arrived near the border, where Chihiro was, her little arms wrapped around herself.

"Haku, I miss my parents." she wept.

"You can go back." I encouraged. I really, didn't want her to, but since she misses them…

"No, you don't understand. Th-they died in a car accident 4 years ago. Ever since, my strict aunt raised me." she choked. Wait, what? Her parents, the ones who turned into pigs, died? 4 years ago? I put my hands on her shoulders, just like 10 years ago when I gave her the rice balls, and murmured a spell.

A wisp of blue reached us, and a voice stroked our ears.

"Chihiro, our faithful daughter, we are sorry we didn't raise you long enough." a female voice slurred.

"Forgive us." a male voice repeated over and over again. The words echoed 4 times.

Then, they disappeared.


	7. Hatred Towards Sakura: Chihiro

7/Hatred Towards Sakura

Chihiro

That… was surprising.

"You can go home if you miss your aunt," Haku said, gently.

"No!" I said almost too quickly.

"I mean, no. She's really strict, and if I come back, she's going to kill me." I continued. Haku nodded, as if understanding.

I really wanted to be with Haku and the rest. The spirit world was like my home. But I don't fit in. I'm not a spirit.

The thoughts stabbed my heart.

"Haku, I was looking for you. How about our daily walk & talk routine?" Sakura's voice suddenly jumped up.

"I'm trying to comfort someone here. Chihiro?" Haku asked, tenderly.

"I'm fine. Do you walk & talk thing." I mumbled. Haku looked at me in confirmation. I just nodded and jogged towards the palace, ignoring the looks. Why did Sakura always have to end my special times with Haku?

I scurried back to my assigned room and found a note lying on the bed.

_Don't trust Sakura. She's the devil around here. -L_

I was sure there was only one "L" spirit who hated Sakura and was on my side: Lin.

I decided to drop by her room for a moment. As I knocked on the door, I heard muffled voices. Then, the door opened.

"Chihiro! Why don't you come in?" Lin invited generously.

"Hi." I squeaked. Someone pushed my back. I turned and saw Kina, Lin's daughter, with a big smile on her face.

"Who's that, Lin?" a man's voice appeared over the kitchen. A slender male, about 30 years old, appeared in front of my eyes. His handsome eyes and soft voice indicated that Lin made a good "appearance" choice.

"It's Chihiro, Chihiro this is Akito." Lin smiled and introduced.

"Hello, Chihiro. I've heard much about you." his voice soothed, as he extended his hand to shake. We shook our hands and smiled at each other.

"What's up? Bothered by the devil?" Lin smirked.

"Yeah," I managed to spit out. Lin laughed and grabbed a teapot. Tea sprinkled down into three bone china cups and then Lin pointed at what seemed like rose tea for me to sip. The hot liquid burned my throat.

"What's wrong with Sakura? She seems pretty nice to me." Akito announced. Lin and I sighed at the same time, then giggled.

"Everything's wrong with Sakura."


End file.
